Device for washing diapers.



No. 708,920. Patented Sept. 9,1902.

J. W. REED.

DEVICE FOR WASHING DIAPERS.

(Application med Feb. 11, 1902.)

(No Model.)

witnesses Nfrrsn STATES ATENT OFFICE JOHN W. REED, OF GREENSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR WASHING DIAPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,920, dated September 9, 1902.

Application filed February 11,1902. Serial No. 93,589. (No model.) l

To @ZZ whom, 'it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JOHN W. REED, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greensburg,

in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Washing Diapers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a diaper-washer; and the primary object of the same is to provide a simple device including in its organization means upon which to spread diapers to permit the excrement or other deposit to be scraped or otherwise removed therefrom and having a washboard to effect the usual scrubbing and cleansing operation in relation to a tank below, whereby the inconvenient and uncleanly soaking and washing operations usually employed are avoided.

A further object of the invention is to facilitate cleansing or washing diapers by providing meansupon which to spread the latter for first removing the eXcrement from a number of the same and preparing them for soaking without the liability of soiling a part or parts thereof by contamination with portions of deposits liberated in the water wherein the diapers are placed to soak, as in ordinary methods,and thus materiallylighten the work of washing the articlesset forth with materially less unpleasantness.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a diaper-washer embodying the features of the invention and shown arranged for use. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the views..

The numeral 1 designatesa tank of suitable dimensions and having legst? secured to and projecting upwardly over the. outer surfaces of the opposite ends. The tank is composed ing or suspending the diaper thereover.

ing 5, with a removable plug 6 therein. On the opposite ends of the tank between the upper extremities of the legs 2 hard-Wood cleatblocks 7 and 8 are secured and are so arranged as to have their inner opposing edges inclined inwardly and downwardly toward each other Vto form a substantially V-shaped space 9.

Between the blocks S and the upper extremities of the rear legs spaces 10 are provided which differ in angle from the spaces 9. A board 11 is provided having dimensions to completely cover the tank 1 and adapted to be used in part both as a washboard and as means for supporting the diapers for scraping the latter and which is made up of a series of strips so arranged and secured as to avoid warping, and the corners `at one side are cut out to form angular recesses 12. To the 0pposite ends of board 11 hard-wood strips 13 are secured, and the ends le thereof, which project over the recesses 12, are tapered to fit in the spaces 9 and 10 between the blocks 7 and 8 and the blocks 8 and upper extremities of the rear legs. Extending transversely of the center of one side of the board are strips 15, which are spaced apart from each other.

and have a corrugated metallic sheet 16 between them and a soap-rest 17 at one end of said sheet, thereby forming a Washboard which is used in the ordinary manner for cleansing purposes by rubbing the diapers thereover.

Itwill be seen that the board outside of the strips 15 and both sides is free for spread- This operation is preliminarily pursued and the excrement scraped off the diapers and permitted to fall in the tank, the board 11 during such operation having the tapered extremities of the end strips 13 fitted in the spaces 9 between the blocks 7 and 8. After this scraping operation is completed or all the diapers to be cleansed have been so treated the excrement deposited in the tank is removed or permitted to pass out of the tank with the water which may have been poured therein before the scraping operationwas begun. The tank after removal of the deposit of excrement therein is again filled to a suitable level with water and the diapers placed therein to soak to render the stains thereon IOO more readily removable. This avoids the presence of small particles of excrement and soiling thereby of portions of the diapers which in the rst instance were unstained and also prevents the unpleasant sensation of dipping the hands into the water in this filthy condition, as Well as the stench arising from water that has stood for some time under the old method ofcleansingdiapers. After the diapers have soaked for a suflicient period the board ll is arranged, as shown by Fig. l, to slightly incline it toward one side of the tank and leave a greater portion of the latter clear, and after fresh water has been placed in said tank the diapers are finally washed. At times when the washer is not in use the board ll may be employed as a cover for the tank by detaching the same and disposing it in flat position. When the board 1l is in elevated position, the recesses 12 iit over the upper edges of the ends of the tank, so that a portion of one side of the board will depend into the tank to avoid splashing the water over the side of the tank adjacent to the operator and also to reliably direct the excrement into the tank during the scraping operation.

The improved device will be found very useful for the purpose for which it is designed,

and the operation of cleansing diapers can be expeditiously carried on.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- A washing device of the class set forth comprising a tank having legs and eXteriorly-located end blocks with spaces between them, and a board of such dimensions as to cover the tank and having a cleansing device eX- tending transversely across the center of one side and also provided with corner-recesses at one side edge portion and strips with projecting ends adjacent to said recesses, the recesses permitting the board to embrace the ends of the tank and to partially extend downwardly into the latter, and the projecting ends ofthe strips being detachably insertible in the spaces between the end blocks, thespaces between the pairs of the latter and one of the same and one of the tank-legs being such as to have the board stand at different angles when the said ends are in engagement therewith.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOI-IN W. REED.

Vitnesses:

. E. E. ALLsHoUsE,

JAMES O. LAUFFER. 

